House Sparrow
Place to admire: Paradise of Birds
Scientific name: Passer domesticus
IUCN-status: Least concern
Habitat
The House Sparrow lives in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America and South America.
Appearance
A male can be recognized by its gray lower body and brown upper body with black stripes. It has broad and white wing stripes. On the head, a male has a gray spot with a reddish-brown spot on either side. On the breast, the male has a black coloration. The intensity of this color indicates the dominance of the male. The more intense the color, the more dominant the male is. The cheeks contain a whitish color. The iris is dark brown. The beak contains a black color. The legs have a brown to dark brown color.
A female has light brown plumage. There is a light eyebrow stripe behind the eye. A female has a yellowish bill.
In urban environments, the House Sparrow generally has duller plumage than in rural environments.
Diet
The House Sparrow is an omnivore. Although this bird species can eat both plant and animal material, the House Sparrow feeds primarily on plant material.
Its diet consists of grasses, corn, oats, wheat and sorghum, low herbs and weed seeds. In addition, the House Sparrow eats buds, berries and a variety of household waste.
Natural behavior
The House Sparrow likes to take dust baths. The bird flexes its legs and leans forward on its chest. Then the House Sparrow starts throwing soil or water with its bill or wings. Sometimes the House Sparrow will stretch its wings and flap them to bring up the dust. The dust will eventually land on the shaken body feathers.